Munich: Riding the Paternoster, Hofbrauhaus, and Christmas Markets

Well it has been six years since my last post on this blog, but at long last I found myself back in Europe. Not only was I in Europe, but I had the fortune to visit Germany, one of the main countries I failed to visit on my Eurotrip six years ago. I was only here for 3 full days since it was a business trip but I think I did a pretty good job of enjoying the city before and after working hours.

First thing's first, my Munich selfie wearing the same green jacket my dad gave me back in sophomore year.

First and foremost, I want to say I love Munich's transport system. At every subway station, train station, and even bus stop there are these very useful led screens showing what the next bus arriving will be and when it will arrive.

What lines are coming next and when

Not only that, on the bus/train/whatever there are often screens showing what the next stops are. Talk about useful!

I also like how the elevators label the ground floor "0" and the basement floors negative. The engineer in me knew that there were others who like putting things on a number line.

Dawn of The First Day (72 hours remain) - Sunday - The Hunt for Food

If there's one gripe I have, it was that I landed in Munich early on a Sunday. Little did I know that very few shops are open on Sunday. I would say that >95% of stores are closed, making it difficult for me to find food. My hotel did not provide any food, and my coworker (who I did not cross paths with but did land on the same day) said that he had to eat out of a gas station for dinner. Fortunately I was a bit more crafty (or at least persistent).

For Lunch I wandered what felt like dozens of blocks until I found a bakery that was open - and I took advantage, stuffing my face with a mozzarella tomato sandwich, a nice tea, and some sort of chocolate cake.

Vinzenz Zöttl Bakery

The best part of the bakery was the shopkeep. We chatted about how Munich was lousy to visit on a Sunday, and he took a napkin and scribbled a crude map while telling me that  for dinner I had to go to a place called the "Hofbrauhaus" which was definitely going to be open...

Hofbrauhaus

Going to the Hofbrauhaus was awesome, it felt like the real German experience. The place was packed, there was live German music, servers were wearing lederhosen, and everyone just sat where they felt like. Not to mention, the waiter brought me the house standard, a 1 Liter,  beer.

1 Liter beer and my awesome waiter

In addition to the beer, I had the most amazing wienerschnitzel. It was extremely juicy, the batter was crisp, thin and not flakey. I never really "got" wienerschnitzel before, I think because it was always thin and dry or something. But this dish converted me! It was then followed by a delicious apple strudel with a half plate full of delicious vanilla creme/custard of some sort. Would eat again.

Schnitzel and Strudel at Hofbrauhaus

Dawn of The Second Day (48 hours remain) - Monday - Bucket list item

Oh, how I love the paternoster and what it represents. From Wikipedia:  a paternoster is a "passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like."

For me they've been an item on my bucket list I doubted I would ever cross off. It is a distinctly German thing, with more being in Germany than all other countries combined.
http://www.flemming-hamburg.de/patlist.htm
This made it especially devastating when Germany outlawed them in 2015. Fortunately there was protest at the law, and a few survived. To give an idea of how near-extinct these are, in Munich, one of Germany's largest cities, there are only 13 left, and only ONE of which is available to the public.

So you see why I made a special trip to the "Municipal Department for Urban Planning and Building Regulations" building Monday before 6:00 am to see my long-awaited bucket list item :)

Paternoster at the "Municipal Department for Urban Planning and Building Regulations" bulding

I was so excited I even took some vids of what happens when you stay past the top floor :)
Pardon the whispering, it was a government building and I begin the first video from a restroom.

Below shows the top floor transition with my flashlight turned on.

Dawn of The Final Day (24 hours remain) - Tuesday -  The Christmas Markets

I wouldn't say my last day was more memorable than going on the paternoster, but for my final night I got the real "Christmas Market" experience, which was a treat. I drank Gluhwein, a type of mulled red wine, and enjoyed walking down the christmas-light-lit streets. I was fortunate because the week I visited was the first week the Christmas markets opened that year, and it was bustling.

Marienplatz Christmas Market

Perhaps the best part though was introducing my coworker to Hofbrauhaus which was on the way. There I got a delicious roast goose, which had delightful crispy skin.

Before I left the Hofbrauhaus for the last time, I even got the distinctive cup, which I've now noticed cropping up in many german themed pictures (which tells me it was a good purchase). I've thoroughly enjoyed watching Caiqian take two fists to hold the massive glass cup to drink water out of it, I think we will get many good years of use out of the perfect souvenir!

The Perfect Souvenir

Not sure when I'll be in Europe again, but I'm crossing my fingers that it won't be another six years.